The '''Valley of the Kings''' (''Arabic'': '''Wadi el-Muluk''', &#1608;&#1575;&#1583;&#1610; &#1575;&#1604;&#1605;&#1604;&#1608;&#1603;; also known as '''Biban el-Moluk''', the "Gates of the Kings")) is an [[Egypt|Egyptian]] archaeological locality in the hills immediately behind the [[Luxor/West Bank|West Bank]] of [[Luxor]]. As such, it is one of the most remarkable archaeological destinations in the world - the burial place of most of the pharaohs of Egypt of the New Kingdom.

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The '''Valley of the Kings''' (''Arabic'': '''Wadi el-Muluk''', &#1608;&#1575;&#1583;&#1610; &#1575;&#1604;&#1605;&#1604;&#1608;&#1603;; also known as '''Biban el-Moluk''', the "Gates of the Kings") is an [[Egypt|Egyptian]] archaeological locality in the hills immediately behind the [[Luxor/West Bank|West Bank]] of [[Luxor]]. As such, it is one of the most remarkable archaeological destinations in the world - the burial place of most of the pharaohs of Egypt of the New Kingdom.

==Understand==

==Understand==

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A number of archaeological excavations continue periodically within the Valley of the King's to the present day; perhaps best known is the American University of Cairo's excavation of KV5, the tomb of the Sons of Ramesses II. Director of this excavation is Professor Kent Weeks, also director of the Theban Mapping Project, officially granted the permit to map the Theban Necropolis in its entirety - a project now well advanced.

A number of archaeological excavations continue periodically within the Valley of the King's to the present day; perhaps best known is the American University of Cairo's excavation of KV5, the tomb of the Sons of Ramesses II. Director of this excavation is Professor Kent Weeks, also director of the Theban Mapping Project, officially granted the permit to map the Theban Necropolis in its entirety - a project now well advanced.

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==Get in==

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===On foot===

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See the [[Luxor/West_Bank#On_foot|West Bank get around on foot]] section.

==See==

==See==

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Open: summer daily 6am-6pm, winter 9AM-5PM. Admission: LE 70 for three tombs of your choice (those wishing to view more than 3 tombs will need to purchase additional tickets), available from the main Ticket Office in the West Bank.

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Open: Summer daily 6AM - 5PM (Winter 6AM - 4PM). Admission: LE 80/40 for three tombs of your choice (this is printed on the ticket but not displayed at the ticket office; those wishing to view more than 3 tombs will need to purchase additional tickets or discreetly pay LE 10 to the tomb guards), available from the main Ticket Office in the West Bank. Additional separate tickets are required for Tutankhamun and Rameses VI from a separate ticket office further up the valley.

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''Note that not all the tombs within the Valley are currently open to the public. Many are closed periodically for resting and renovation.''

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''Note that not all the tombs within the Valley are currently open to the public. Many are closed periodically for resting and renovation.'' As of '''December 8 2011''', the following tombs were open: KV1, KV2, KV6, KV9, KV62, KV11, KV15, KV16, and KV47.

Information within the Valley has been vastly improved in recent years; (mostly) gone are the old faded signs, now replaced by engraved metal signs detailing the history, architecture and decoration of each tomb, together with detailed plans and diagrams (these have been provided courtesy of the Theban Mapping Project, in association with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities).

Information within the Valley has been vastly improved in recent years; (mostly) gone are the old faded signs, now replaced by engraved metal signs detailing the history, architecture and decoration of each tomb, together with detailed plans and diagrams (these have been provided courtesy of the Theban Mapping Project, in association with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities).

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===Tutankhamun===

===Tutankhamun===

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*the '''Tomb of Tutankhamun''' (KV62) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_876.html], requires a separate ticket (LE 100) for admission from the other tombs - arguably the most famous of the tombs in the Valley, the scene of Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of the almost intact royal burial of the young king. Compared to most of the other royal tombs, however, the tomb of Tutankhamun is barely worth visiting, being much smaller and with limited decoration. The fabulous riches of the tomb are no longer in it, but have been removed to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Visitors with limited time would be best to spend their time elsewhere.

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*the '''Tomb of Tutankhamun''' (KV62) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_876.html], requires an extra ticket of LE 100/50 for admission - arguably the most famous of the tombs in the Valley, the scene of Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of the almost intact royal burial of the young king. Compared to most of the other royal tombs, however, the tomb of Tutankhamun is barely worth visiting, being much smaller and with limited decoration. The fabulous riches of the tomb are no longer in it, but have been removed to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Visitors with limited time would be best to spend their time elsewhere.

Anyone interested in seeing evidence of the damage to the mummy done during initial attempts to remove it from the coffin will be disappointed as only the head and shoulders are visible.

Anyone interested in seeing evidence of the damage to the mummy done during initial attempts to remove it from the coffin will be disappointed as only the head and shoulders are visible.

===Phase One Tombs===

===Phase One Tombs===

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*the '''Tomb of Thutmose III''' (KV34) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_848.html] - one of the most remote tombs in the Valley, located at the far end of the Valley and up several flights of steps to gain entry. The climb is worth it though. The tomb is of the typical, early curved plan with a large oval burial chamber. The decoration is unique, being in a simple, pleasing style that resembles the cursive writing of the time.

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*the '''Tomb of Thutmose III''' (KV34) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_848.html] - one of the most remote tombs in the Valley, located at the far end of the Valley and up several flights of steps to gain entry. The climb is worth it though. The tomb is of the typical, early curved plan with a large oval burial chamber. The decoration is unique, being in a simple, pleasing style that resembles the cursive writing of the time. '''This tomb was not open as of Dec 8 2011.'''

===Phase Two Tombs===

===Phase Two Tombs===

[[image:Horemheb_wall_painting.jpg|thumb|300px|wall painting in the tomb of Horemheb]]

[[image:Horemheb_wall_painting.jpg|thumb|300px|wall painting in the tomb of Horemheb]]

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*the '''Tomb of Horemheb''' (KV57) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_871.html] - the tomb of the last king of the 18th Dynasty

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*the '''Tomb of Horemheb''' (KV57) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_871.html] - the tomb of the last king of the 18th Dynasty '''This tomb was not open as of Dec 17 2011.'''

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*the '''Tomb of Merneptah''' (KV8) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_822.html] - son of Ramesses II (the Great), Merneptah's tomb has suffered greatly from flash flooding of the Valley over the millennia. Those paintings and reliefs that have survived, however, are generally in good condition.

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*the '''Tomb of Merneptah''' (KV8) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_822.html] - son of Ramesses II (the Great), Merneptah's tomb has suffered greatly from flash flooding of the Valley over the millennia. Those paintings and reliefs that have survived, however, are generally in good condition. '''This tomb is marked as ''Under Restoration'' and closed to the public as of Dec 8 2011.'''

===Phase Three Tombs===

===Phase Three Tombs===

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*the '''Tomb of Ramesses VI''' (KV9) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_823.html] - this tomb was originally started by Ramesses V, but usurped after his death by his successor Ramesses VI, who enlarged the tomb and had his own image and cartouches carved in over his predecessor's. The tomb is one of the most interesting in the Valley, with one of the most complete and best preserved decorative schemes surviving.

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*the '''Tomb of Ramesses VI''' (KV9) [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_823.html] requires an extra ticket of LE 50/25 for admission - this tomb was originally started by Ramesses V, but usurped after his death by his successor Ramesses VI, who enlarged the tomb and had his own image and cartouches carved in over his predecessor's. The tomb is one of the most interesting in the Valley, with one of the most complete and best preserved decorative schemes surviving.

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==Facilities==

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No food. No water. Some shade. Toilets available. Mini-train carries visitors from entrance to the checkpoint.

==Do==

==Do==

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[[WikiPedia:Valley of the Kings]]

[[WikiPedia:Valley of the Kings]]

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{{Districtguide}}

Revision as of 18:01, 8 November 2012

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: Wadi el-Muluk, وادي الملوك; also known as Biban el-Moluk, the "Gates of the Kings") is an Egyptian archaeological locality in the hills immediately behind the West Bank of Luxor. As such, it is one of the most remarkable archaeological destinations in the world - the burial place of most of the pharaohs of Egypt of the New Kingdom.

Contents

Understand

The tombs within the Valley are officially given a KV number, standing for "King's Valley". The tomb of Tutankhamun, for example, is also known as KV62.

A number of archaeological excavations continue periodically within the Valley of the King's to the present day; perhaps best known is the American University of Cairo's excavation of KV5, the tomb of the Sons of Ramesses II. Director of this excavation is Professor Kent Weeks, also director of the Theban Mapping Project, officially granted the permit to map the Theban Necropolis in its entirety - a project now well advanced.

Get in

On foot

See

Open: Summer daily 6AM - 5PM (Winter 6AM - 4PM). Admission: LE 80/40 for three tombs of your choice (this is printed on the ticket but not displayed at the ticket office; those wishing to view more than 3 tombs will need to purchase additional tickets or discreetly pay LE 10 to the tomb guards), available from the main Ticket Office in the West Bank. Additional separate tickets are required for Tutankhamun and Rameses VI from a separate ticket office further up the valley.

Note that not all the tombs within the Valley are currently open to the public. Many are closed periodically for resting and renovation. As of December 8 2011, the following tombs were open: KV1, KV2, KV6, KV9, KV62, KV11, KV15, KV16, and KV47.

Information within the Valley has been vastly improved in recent years; (mostly) gone are the old faded signs, now replaced by engraved metal signs detailing the history, architecture and decoration of each tomb, together with detailed plans and diagrams (these have been provided courtesy of the Theban Mapping Project, in association with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities).

In order to get the best idea of the tombs within the Valley of the Kings, it is wise to visit at least one tomb from each of the three main building phases (see below).

Tutankhamun

the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) [1], requires an extra ticket of LE 100/50 for admission - arguably the most famous of the tombs in the Valley, the scene of Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of the almost intact royal burial of the young king. Compared to most of the other royal tombs, however, the tomb of Tutankhamun is barely worth visiting, being much smaller and with limited decoration. The fabulous riches of the tomb are no longer in it, but have been removed to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Visitors with limited time would be best to spend their time elsewhere.

Anyone interested in seeing evidence of the damage to the mummy done during initial attempts to remove it from the coffin will be disappointed as only the head and shoulders are visible.

Phase One Tombs

the Tomb of Thutmose III (KV34) [2] - one of the most remote tombs in the Valley, located at the far end of the Valley and up several flights of steps to gain entry. The climb is worth it though. The tomb is of the typical, early curved plan with a large oval burial chamber. The decoration is unique, being in a simple, pleasing style that resembles the cursive writing of the time. This tomb was not open as of Dec 8 2011.

Phase Two Tombs

wall painting in the tomb of Horemheb

the Tomb of Horemheb (KV57) [3] - the tomb of the last king of the 18th Dynasty This tomb was not open as of Dec 17 2011.

the Tomb of Merneptah (KV8) [4] - son of Ramesses II (the Great), Merneptah's tomb has suffered greatly from flash flooding of the Valley over the millennia. Those paintings and reliefs that have survived, however, are generally in good condition. This tomb is marked as Under Restoration and closed to the public as of Dec 8 2011.

Phase Three Tombs

the Tomb of Ramesses VI (KV9) [5] requires an extra ticket of LE 50/25 for admission - this tomb was originally started by Ramesses V, but usurped after his death by his successor Ramesses VI, who enlarged the tomb and had his own image and cartouches carved in over his predecessor's. The tomb is one of the most interesting in the Valley, with one of the most complete and best preserved decorative schemes surviving.

Facilities

No food. No water. Some shade. Toilets available. Mini-train carries visitors from entrance to the checkpoint.

Do

Hatshepsut's Temple viewed from the hiking trail out of the Valley of the Kings

Consider hiking back over the surrounding hills to Deir el-Medina or Deir el-Bahari - although a relatively short hike, do take plenty of water, especially in summer. The views are well worth the physical exertion!

Buy

The Valley of the king ticket does not include a tram ride from the ticket office to entrace of the first tomb.If you are not in a rush take the time to walk. You will save the 3 min tram ride and save your self 5 EP

Eat

Cope

Bringing your own small torch to gently illuminate some of the more obscure reliefs is always a good idea.

Watch out for the guards in the tombs that may offer to take your picture (which is against the rules) for some baksheesh. If they get your camera they can take any sort of picture, then report you to the authorities, which is a big hassle. Beware that a camera flash in a tomb will alert the guards to picture taking that is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. You will be given the choice of leaving the site (not just that tomb)or paying a second admission fee.